Four Ways John Legend Inspires Us All By Using His Platform For Good

Throughout his career, JohnLegend has made his philanthropic efforts a priority and helping others has always been at the top of his list.

In 2007, the acclaimed A-lister started his Show Me Campaign, which aims to give children everywhere access to a good education, and eventually joined the board of Teach for America.

The caring crooner has done everything from joining Hurricane Katrina cleanup efforts and visiting the Children’s Hospital, to signing letters to United Nations leaders and so much more.

Not to mention, the generous star has received several awards for his charitable and social justice work.

Now, Legend gets to return the favor.

E! announced on Thursday that come Nov. 11, the singer will be presenting Bryan Stevenson (the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative) with the People’s Champion Award at the E! People’s Choice Awards.

Legend will also be performing as part of the presentation. How exciting?!

Stevenson must be thrilled, because that’s a huge deal. Receiving a philanthropic award from a man who is tirelessly pushing for change and standing up for what is right makes for a double win in our books.

So, make sure you tune in to the 2018 PCAs to see this monumental presentation in all its glory!

Everything about this award has us feeling inspired, and that’s why we are looking back at a few of Legend’s past efforts that have made a difference in the world.

The EGOT winner is a total pro when it comes to using his platform and his celebrity clout for good, therefore we’ve gathered together all the different ways he brings people together and draws attention to the things that are important below. Enjoy!

1. He’s putting his wealth to good use.

Whether donating solo, or alongside wife Chrissy Teigen, Legend loves putting his massive amounts of money towards good causes. A few years back, he donated $500,000 towards theater renovations for Springfield South High School, which is in his hometown school district. He also gave $5,000 to a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of school-lunch debts in Seattle.

When it comes to donations, he and Teigen have made several notable joint gestures. In January, the power couple contributed $200,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which was created to provide legal representation and support to sexual violence victims.

The following month, they donated to the anti-gun movement March for Our Lives, providing $5,000 to their cause. Then this summer, they pulled out all the stops by gifting a whopping $288,000—in Donald Trump’s name—to the ACLU, by donating $72,000 from each member of their family, including their kids Luna and Miles.

We’re so in awe of how passionate they are!

2. He shares his talents for good causes.

Legend was gifted with an angelic voice that people will pay crazy amounts of money to hear IRL. So, we love that he performs so many benefit concerts to put that money towards some incredible organizations.

After the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina for example, the song-smith lent his voice to Tide’s Loads of Hope campaign, which helped rebuild destroyed homes, provided laundry services to victims, and lit up New Orleans’ Jackson Square for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, Legend has also joined Stevie Wonder’s House Full of Toys Benefit Show, designed to provide aids to children in need or with disabilities during the holiday season. He’s also done benefits for Teach for America and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation—to promote a plan to bail women and teens out of jail—as well as the Shining A Light concert, to raise awareness regarding racial inequality.

Again, so inspiring.

3. He’s all about informing his millions of followers on social media.

Much like his wife, Legend doesn’t shy away from speaking his mind online. Having amassed a Twitter following of over 12 million people, the artist knows that he can push different causes on social media and actually make an impact.

Lately, Legend has been utilizing the influence of Twitter challenges, including creating a cover challenge to inspire followers to #GetUpAndVote and spreading an existing dance challenge that provides money to people in need.

He also posts promos for organizations like Michelle Obama‘s Global Girls Alliance and speaks out about social issues facing our country. Aside from constantly encouraging his faithful followers to vote in the midterm election, Legend has expressed his support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and the Black Lives Matter movement.

4. He makes powerful music to move the masses.

We all know by now that Legend’s beautiful ballads and infectious anthems are works of art. What you might’ve missed is the fact that the musician also creates certain songs as expressions of his social and political views, crafting them around moving messages to inspire the masses.

He’s written songs about social consciousness, civil rights, voting, political candidates, immigrant rights and more. We are obsessed over Legend’s ability to turn a track into an important call to action that really gets people thinking.

With so much good being done at the hands of Legend, it’s even more exciting that we get to see him give out the super-important award for this year’s People’s Champion Award.

Are you excited to see how Legend handles his presenter duties? We sure are!